>> thank you, brian. >> the jump was originally scheduled for tomorrow but it's postponed a day due to projected high winds. before we get out of here, we want to tell you, hugo chavez announced the victory of the election. thank you. have a good night. the battleground states hanging in the balance, out reach amping up. >> unprecedented effort. lots of money in colorado, virginia, florida.

>> in nevada, both parties pull out all the stops to woo latinos and their leaders. >> they wanted them to come out and vote. >> thousands of latinos turn 18 and become eligible to vote every month. they face a struggling economy, and broken promises and harsh immigration rhetoric. >> do you think democrats and republicans understand latinos in nevada? >> neither party understands what is needed for the hispan s hispanics. >> neither party. >> so who will win them over? latino in america: courting their vote. las vegas, nevada. one of the gambling capitals of the world. beyond the glitz and glamor in the shadow of high rollers and

high stakes gambling is high stakes politics. this is the las vegas you rarely see. nevada is home to one of the fastest growing latino populations in the country. more than a quarter of the state's population is hispanic, and in 2008, those latino voters helped to turn the historically republican state democratic, and all eyes are on the crucial swing state and its six electoral votes. >> the goal is to get as much support we can from the hispanic communities. >> hector is one of the people in charge of the latino out reach for the republican presidential nominee, mitt romney. >> it's a growing electric rut, and it's going to continue to

grow in the elections to come, and so i don't think either party can take that vote for granted. >> democrats are fighting to hold on to nevada, with heavy hitters like harry reid hoarding the latino community. nearly 300,000 nevada voters are latino. >> no more magnified anywhere else than nevada is the hispanic vote. >> but republicans want to take the state back in 7 out of the last 10 elections nevada voted republican. >> we understand to win, you have to win the hispanic vote. we have to be engaged. >> the presidential candidates come here to win the west -- >> in october of 2011, the republican presidential candidates rolled into town with their money and their message. >> herman cain, let me start with you. would you build an entire fence along the border and would you

have it be electrified? >> i will build a double-walled fence. >> there's tough talk on immigration. >> you have nerve border patrol agents to seat fence and you turn off the magnets like tuition breaks that draw people into the country illegally. >> we have a question in the office. >> in the office is a businessman, a republican voter, anxious to ask the question on the minds of many latino voters. >> we have 50 million latinos and not all are illegal. what is the message from you guys to the latino community? >> it is a tough thing to be republican and latino here? >> yes. >> how so? >> i have to all the time defend the party, so like, you know, that's not all of us. our community is not about only immigration. they want jobs. they want a better education for the kids. >> what is the message that we take to the grassroots? >> hours after the gop debate in a different session, he is still

pressing party for answers? >> the democrats are kicking our bebehind. >> we need you out here talking to the latinos. >> the republican here shares his satisfaction? >> the republican leadership has to send a message to our community. whaeufplt >> what is your frustration with the republican party? >> they don't see what hispanics are going through every day, and they don't see it as a problem. >> you don't think the republicans are fighting for your vote? >> exactly. >> but cecilia is fighting for their votes, and he wants to take the message to the latino community? >> i never see them trying to be out there and express their voices, you know. i am not afraid to tell people what i stand for, so i want them to be with me out there trying to teach and educate the population.

i have a gorgeous view of the sunrise. it gives me the energy i need every day. sevillea moved from peru to the united states 30 years ago to pursue her american dream. >> it was hard for me in the beginning so i made a decision, you know, i need to feed my children and i don't care i will work as a housekeeper. >> she went from being a housekeeper to a banker -- >> i am going to park. >> she spotted an opportunity to indicator to latinos. >> hi, doctor. how are you? >> she ran nine clinics and had 130 employees, and the recession led her to shut down clinics and layoff 60 workers. >> it has delivered blow after blow. savings drying up and homes

losing value and now a new class of working poor, and families that once enjoyed 6-figure incomes now lose their homes. >> that's me. if i didn't make the changes i made with the company, we closed five clinics and it was really painful. but we did it, and finally we are almost at three, and we are back to hiring again. >> at the core of cecilia's success, she says her conservative beliefs and values. >> i believe in the american dream and i came to the country to work hard and i don't want government telling me what to do. >>tate senator also believes in the american dream. he, too, is fighting for the latino vote, but for the democrats. >> what are your top issue stphz what are you most concerned about now? economy?

jobs? health care? >> the foreclosures in the houses. >> foreclosures? >> yes. >> today, nevada is suffering through high levels of foreclosures and 12% unemployment with the latino community especially hard hit. a poll shows three quarters of latinos are more concerned about the economy than immigration policy. >> since most of the people work in the casino industry and the tourism industry, if those industries are not making money they lay people off. thaerz the first line of workers that get laid off when times are hard. so when these people get laid off, they can't pay their bills. when they can't pay their bills, they lose their home. so we have a lot of work to do. >> these are problems plaguing latinos across the country, problems latinos look to the politicians to solve, but is either party really listening?

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like republican brian sandoval, the state's first latino leader. >> i am not the most famous candidate or with the most money but i am the one with the biggest heart. >> just keep working. good to see you here. >> ruban has democratic senator, harry reid, as his mentor.

>> reid gave ruben his start in politics. >> a lot of community leaders here started saying, wow, this guy ruben, maybe he can run for office some day. >> that's what he did. winning the seat in the nevada state assembly when he was just 26. now, at 31, he has a much loftier goal. >> i am ruben kuhen running for congress. >> one district has become heavily hispanic. >> constituents i represented for the past few years were calling and saying you should run. so i met with a lot of people for many weeks. senator reid is the type of person if he doesn't want you to

run, he will tell you directly, you should not run. but the fact that he did not discourage me from running meant to me that this was an opportunity for me to run. >> thank you so much. are you ready to go outdoor to door? >> yeah. >> so ruben launched a grassroots campaign sharing his experience as a latino immigrant that achieved his own american dream after immigrating from mexico with his family when he was 6. >> this is where my family and i first lived here in las vegas. when you get here with nothing and you get to live in a house with four bedrooms in front of a park -- my father had a car and we had a home and he had a job, and that is the american dream. i think to understand the issues of the people that live in the area, you have to have lived through the same experiences that they live. my family lost a home to

foreclosure, and i have parents that have been unemployed, both of them. we have been in situations where we didn't know where our next paycheck was going to come from, or how we were going to put food at the table that night. >> through hard work, ruben says, all the members of his family have realized their american dream. but others in the latino community are struggling. >> we want these people that live in these homes to have an opportunity to move up if they want to. right now they are losing hope because those opportunities are not there. >> ruben is running in a district with 500,000 latinos, the largest latino population in the state. >> i need your help. >> he says electing him to congress would give latinos a voice, and democratic leaders hope ruben's candidacy will bring more latinos out to the polls. but in the fall of 2011 the candidate realizes he has

competition. congresswoman dina titus. she is an experienced politician. ruben is young. he is fresh and culturally connected. >> i might not raise as much as her but have hundreds of volunteers waiting to go and knock on doors, those young volunteers willing to make phone calls for you. >> more than 60,000 latinos turn 18 every months across the country and some democratic leaders believe ruben could be the right man to connect to him. debby is the president of the hispanic student union at rancho high school, ruben's alma mater. her brother and many of her friends are in the country illegally.

the dream act could have protected them from deportation. it went down to defeat by the senate in 2010. >> having friends who are so close and had that chance to be able to have some kind of legal status here and then knowing that it was not possible, it was very heartbreaking. >> political radio host and registered democrat is also disappointed with the party. >> 70 sum% of the democratic population went with barack obama to get him elected. as soon as it happened, we are going to get the dream act, and the first hundred days go by, and well, nada. >> president obama has upset latinos by tkae porting other

undocumented latinos than any other immigration running in history. >> ruben is trying to build a momentum, and the base he needs to win. even appearing on republican businesswoman scecilia's tv sho. [ speaking spanish ] . >> he impressed me today. absolutely impressed me today. 40% is hispanics. he should be the one representing that district. >> it seems ruben has the support of his community, and

powerful democratic leaders, but is it enough to make him nevada's first latino congressman? >> it's a new approach. when you see these problems do you take a step back, or do you want to dive right in? with a degree in business from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to go further in your career than you ever thought possible. let's get started at capella.edu

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you ought to see the faces on the children when they see santa claus. >> reporter: december 2011.

a season of giving. and cecilia aldana's favorite time of year. >> okay. misto. i collected, between the purchase and the donations, 5,500 toys. >> reporter: every year, cecilia helps sponsor a toy and food drive for nevada's neediest. >> this is a reality. this is exactly what happens in las vegas. >> reporter: the unemployment rate for latinos in nevada is 15.2%. it doubled after the recession of 2008 when the construction industry collapsed. >> what makes me extremely sad is no politician understands what happens every day in our lives. >> reporter: even republican party leaders admit they need to do more. >> i think in a lot of cases, we have some work to do. >> reporter: sean spicer is with the republican national

committee. >> i think if you look at that time on paper, we should you can the home for every latino. hands down. no question. unfortunately, i think we haven't always done the best job of reaching out to them and talking to them about it. >> reporter: lack of outreach led latinos to form their own opinions, based on republicans tough stance on immigration. in fact, a recent cnn/orc poll shows 70% of latinos believe that democrats care more about them. only 24% say republicans care more. what do you think most hispanics in nevada think of the republican party? >> they immediately go and say we don't trust republicans because they are all evil. you know, they are no good people. >> that's what hispanics here

say? >> why, sole dad? why do they say that? it's because they hear that on the news every day. and i'm a republican. i'm a conservative republican. i'm out there working hard, making sure i create jobs for more people. >> reporter: cecilia feels she is doing her part but the republican party itself is struggling. [ speaking spanish ] >> why is the economy weak? >> reporter: while nevada's republican party is supporting ron paul, the national republican party is unifying behind mitt romney. >> we are having a rally for mitt romney. >> reporter: to people like cecilia, it seems there is no clear party direction. no easy way to be involved. until mitt romney comes to town. >> i'm talking to some of the roey people to see what i can do to help them to recruit hispanics. >> reporter: at last, cecilia feels engaged by her party. >> we see record numbers of foreclosures. i don't have to tell you that. we need new leadership in washington. >> it totally inspires me, you

know, gives me hope for the future. so i can't wait for him to become president. >> reporter: republican or democrat, nevada's latino community shares the same hope as its future, sending one of their own to congress. for democrats that would be state senator ruben kihuen. january 24, 2012, washington, d.c. >> you know, i get the chills every time i walk by this building. >> reporter: congressional candidate kihuen has traveled across the country as a guest of his mentor, senator harry reid. he is attending the state of the union address. >> this is maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. god willing, we win this election in june and in november and next year, i will be serving in this body as a member of congress, listening to that speech. >> reporter: while in washington, ruben makes a point to meet with key latino congressmen. of the 530 members currently in congress, 28 are latino, eight republicans, 20 democrats. >> you already lieutenant? >> i'm doing well. waiting to meet with congressman basserra.

>> reporter: like charlie gonzalez from the hispanic caucus. >> a few more offices. >> reporter: and congressman becerra from california. >> going to be in washington for the state of the union? >> yes, actually august guest of senator reid. >> reporter: with each meeting, ruben's confidence builds. >> he will be here in about a year. >> i'm working hard. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states. >> reporter: that night the state of the union. what was it like? >> when you're invited to sit there and be among the 600 most powerful people in the world, possibly, you know, including the president of the united states and you get to witness this event in person, it's

life-changing. >> reporter: then, the next morning, an important meeting. senator harry reid, ruben's mentor and a kingmaker in congress. so, for the folks in washington, d.c., how important was it that you were latino in a district that is latino? >> nevada is a battleground state. it is a purple state. >> they wanted latino votes? >> they wanted latinos to vote. they knee no he by having a latino on the general election ballot it would increase their turnout. they had their own vested interest in this. >> it seems to me you had a ton of momentum, both in d.c., and their constituents. >> there was a picture that came out on the las vegas sun where senator reid had his arm around me. so a lot of people were saying we know who senator reid is supporting. >> reporter: ruben's trip to washington left him running high but back in nevada, his

competitor was beating him in the polls. there must have been people in your campaign saying, ruben, we're in trouble. come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ bp has paid overthe people of bp twenty-threeitment to the gulf. billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years.

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people are celebrating the

news that hugo chavez has won re-election. the polls stayed open hours after they were scheduled to close. chavez received more than 54% of the vote. he has been president of venezuela nearly 14 years. 4, 3, 2, 1 -- and liftoff. liftoff of the spacex falcon 9 rocket. >> sunday night marked a new era is space flight. the first launch and bound for the international space station. nasa stepped aside signing a contract to ship cargo on 12 missions. a historic night in football as well. drew brees topped the touchdown pass record. he threw a touchdown pass in his 48th consecutive game. those are the headlines this hour. i am don lemon keeping you

informed. cnn the most trusted name in news. i'm ruben kihuen, i'm running for united states congress. >> okay. >> thank you, my friend. >> reporter: ruben kihuen, energetic, enthused. and emboldened by his trip to washington, d.c. is back in las vegas. >> i love you, ruben. >> reporter: continuing his campaign to become nevada's first latino congressman but the polls are telling a different story. must have been people in your campaign crunching those numbers and saying, ruben, we're in trouble. >> we were not focused on what that poll or any of those polls were saying because i was confident by the time election day came around, they knew who ruben kihuen was and what he planned on doing for the >> reporter: then, on february 7, 2012, just two weeks after

ruben's d.c. trip, a surprising turn. kihuen releases this statement and withdraws from the race. >> here at home, state senator ruben kihuen has dropped out of the race. >> reporter: rancho high school is the home base for ruben's volunteer youth support. both students and teachers struggle with the news. >> it's so shocking because just this saturday, we were out canvassing for him and his campaign manager was there and you know, the field director was there and how could this have happened? >> the only time i think i've been -- i think i sat or maybe effected is when i found out the dream act had not passed. >> reporter: next is the to hear from ruin personally. instead his sister -- >> maryanna kihuen. >> reporter: faces their disappoint. >> it was you guys that really made his campaign last five, six months that it did. >> all the indications was ruben is our candidate, he will go to congress.

>> reporter: miguel barrentos, a producer and radio host in las vegas. >> he would have kept the party strong, latinos more on the democratic ticket but after that, i think it is going to reflect on how people are going to get elect here in southern nevada. >> reporter: a week pass and a once highly visible ruben kihuen has still not made a public appearance. speculation builds about his withdrawal from the race. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: until ruben appears on miguel's spanish radio show to face those that believed in him. [ speaking spanish ] >> the reality is some people don't understand it but the reality is we didn't have the money. >> okay, ruben, if the issue is money. >> reporter: miguel doesn't buy it. >> harry reid able to raise $30 million for his senate race, i'm sure with a couple phone calls, he would have raised $1 million for ruben kihuen if he really wanted to help the latino community. >> 'cause i knew once --

>> reporter: regardless of the reasons, ruben struggles with his decision to drop out. >> again, it was tough. don't get me wrong. >> how tough? >> for me, i couldn't sleep the day before, i wasn't sure if we stay in the race or not. we had the volunteers, we had the people support. we had the community behind my campaign. >> but? >> we had community leaders. >> but? >> but this was going to have a negative impact ultimately for president obama's campaign here in nevada because i know that worse case scenario, had i lost that primary, those voters who were nontraditional voters, who were excited to see my candidacy, were going to be discouraged to go out there and support anyone in the general election. >> reporter: ruben's weight of re-electing president obama on his shoulders around the dreams of his community on his back, he took one for the team.

his party, not his people. are some latinos mad that, you know, that the person who has to take one for the team is the young up and coming latino who can bring out the latino vote which, by the way, is big in this state? but when push came to shove, it's not going to be you this time? >> you know, i'm -- i don't know. i mean, i've heard of a lot of, you know, mixed messages. some people did call me and some were disappointed with the democratic party, should come out and supporting me publicly so concerned about getting latinos out to vote, they should support the latino candidate. >> reporter: senator reid's office says the decision to drop out of the race was kihuen's. from ruben's balcony you can script offers a constant reminder of why he got into the race in the first place. >> if you look at that big green

hotel over there, that's where my mom works. and as we speak, that's where she's working. she's a housekeeper at the mgm grand. part of the reason why i was doing this was because of my mom and because of my father and so when i look out there, i think about my mom that's working right now, her dream of seeing me serving in congress is going to have to be put on hold. but m still committed to it as ever. it just didn't happen in 2012. >> reporter: republican cecilia aldana still has high hopes for 2012. inspired after working at the republican caucus supporting front-runner mitt romney, cecilia sets her sites on becoming a delegate to the national convention. is that gonna happen? >> no, it didn't happen. i don't know how exactly that works but i was not one of the

names on the list. i don't know what the process is. but my name wasn't there so i guess it broke my heart. >> reporter: with nevada's republican party in disarray, splintered between ron paul and mitt romney supporters, and no clear strategy, cecilia is left with a challenge. >> you are a nevada hispanic. >> reporter: how to win over the want to try to crack it? yeah, that's the way to do it!

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>> reporter: this is a big day for debbie rios. today, she is graduating from rancho high school. she will start college in the fall. >> debbie lorraine leos. >> reporter: something her undocumented older brother could not do. debbie rios is becoming an adult in a school district where the population is booming. nearly 50% of kindergarteners are latino. though latinos are the largest minority group in the country, they are politically underrepresented nationwide. here in nevada, ruben kihuen abandoned his bid to become the state's first latino congressman but urges the rancho graduates to keep on fighting. >> we must remember the road to

success leads through hard work, patience, persistence and perseverance. >> yes, i am seeing it from the president's campaign and the local canned dats understand the importance of the latino vote and make it to events. you need to invest in latino votes in order to get latinos come out and vote. >> you feel like democrats are investing? >> they are investing. >> regardless of what happened with you? >> yes. yes. >> reporter: many are disappointed with the democrats. after president obama failed to defeat republicans in congress, after the defeat of the 2010 dream act, many latinos resent the lack of support for leaders like ruben.

>> i think the leadership is seek the latino vote but the way we saw it with the ruben kihuen issue is they are not ready to give us the political power. i think it is a missed opportunity for the democrat leadership. >> reporter: five months before the election, president obama independently makes a decision that changes the game. >> effective immediately, the department of homeland security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. >> reporter: the president's executive decision temporarily allows undocumented young people to stay in the u.s. and apply for a work permit. a strategy that directly targets young voters under 30, like debbie rios. the republicans say it isn't the right solution. mitt romney, now the party's

candidate, fires back. >> i believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long-term basis. >> reporter: on the ground are the national parties are dialing into the latino community. and both parties come to nevada for the national council's annual conference. >> we saw latinos be a swing vote in 2010 and in 2008 when barack obama was put into office and when harry reid was elected into office. as it turns out, they tipped the scales and i think everyone credits the latino community with having made the difference in those elections. >> reporter: the nclr conference has been a center stage for latino politics. candidates obama and mccain spoke here in 2008, but neither candidate attends in 2012. janet says it is a missed

opportunity. >> it's important to tap into that growing power of the latino community and to encourage as many latinos and hispanics to be full participants in the electoral process. >> reporter: which is what cecilia aldana is focusing on. >> we are trying to educate the population on the different options. >> reporter: frustrated by the split in the nevada's republican party, cecilia moves forward on her own. though still a hard-core republican, she decides to join an independent conservative group. >> i became part of nevada hispanic, it was created by one of my greatest friends. we believe in strong immigration. we believe on the family. >> why not work with the republican party? >> i think you can achieve more doing what i'm doing. i want to teach you how this

country works. >> reporter: the republican party's outreatch slowly taking shape. with the state party in disarray, the republican national committee and the romney campaign start their own separate outreach. there were many people in nevada who felt it was late by then. do you feel it was late? >> i don't feel it was late. a lot of time, people aren't really plugging in until you get this time of year. >> reporter: but are republicans plug nothing nevada late teen snows latinos the state of nevada is that your focus in the campaign? >> no as i mentioned to you, i've been in ohio, wisconsin this week. >> you told me nevada is could be a critical swing state? >> is, we can do more than one

state at the same time. >> reporter: and he will have to, with obama and romney nearly tied in the polls and just weeks left till the election, the latino vote is especially crucial. up next, democrats and republicans bring latino issues and players to the biggest stage yet. ♪

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the democratic national convention, the party's biggest political pep rally of the year. front and center is state senator ruben kihuen, one of the party's biggest fans. he dropped out of the highly contested congressional race for district one in nevada. he says he feared his candidacy would divide the democratic party. tonight, ruben represents nevada as the democratic national committeeman. >> i ran for national committeeman, got elected. this is part of my responsibility to be here but

also because i'm one of the main surrogates for the president's campaign back home. >> my grandmother didn't begin to her our lives in public service but probably thought it extraordinary. >> reporter: the first time a latino is doing the keynote at the dnc, which surprised in toe some degree. an poernt role sent to late team knows. >> i think his message is the american dream is still alive, we work hard, we sacrifice, still out there similar to my message when i was campaigning for congress. for know witness this is historic. >> journey that brought me here tonight -- >> reporter: with the election a virtual dead heat, they are desperate to connect with the

nation's 24 million eligible latino voters. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: their pitch. >> there was no limit how far i could go because i was an american. >> reporter: republican is he is seem ya aldana dreamed of going as a delegate to the convention, it didn't happen, so seles celia shifted efforts away from the republican party and toward an independent conservative group called nevada hispanics. she is now the chairwoman. should the republican party look at you and say that is what we need to win spinks, if we don't get hispanics eventually we are really not going to be competitive? >> what i'm doing every day is -- >> they don't make a note? >> they don't make a note. >> reporter: the party needs to be making note and fast. cecilia al dana is doing her part around believes her independent effort does deliver 5 to 10,000 conservative votes

for mitt romney. >> i spoke to cecilia last week, i met with her. >> reporter: hector barreto helps lead's official latino outreach. >> she has an organization, doing a a lot of grassroots, too. >> reporter: she told me she started doing that on her own when she couldn't get into the campaign. >> that is what leaders do she was a leader. they don't wait for anybody. >> reporter: wouldn't it take more sense take somebody like that a leader that wants to make governor romney win? >> absolutely. i'm sure she will be a big supporter around contributor going forward. >> that is. is that is my point. a big supporter around

contributor financially like to see governor romney as president can't figure out how to get in and believes her interpretation is the campaign is disorganize and not focusing on hispanics in nevada, the romney campaign doesn't really care. >> sure. what happens in campaigns also is campaigns change. you are running a primary campaign you don't low have a lot of resources on the ground, you are the nominee now you have more resource and staff and these things change quickly. >> reporter: this tape from a spring fund-raiser is released, he suspect doing himself any favors. >> the governor of michigan, the head of a car company but he was born in mexico. had he have been born to mexican parent, i would have had a better shop of winning. >> reporter: with the election weeks away, nevada is still up for grabs. los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa is one of president obama's key campaigners for the late teen knee vote. do you think the state of nevada is is going to pick the next president? >> 24 out of the last 25

elections they have picked the president. as nevada goes, so goes the nation. but i see a very close election. >> reporter: today there are 51 million latinos in the country, roughly half eligible to vote and their votes are critical to wing the election, but what about their voices? when will their numbers translate into political power? >> i have said this to democrats and republicans alike. we know when latinos see more candidates coming from their community august way of energizing the latino vote. >> reporter: ruben kihuen hopes to be one of those candidates in the future. will you run for office again? >> absolutely. >> reporter: will you be a congressman? >> absolutely. >> reporter: one day? >> one day. yes. >> when? >> i still aspire to be that first congressman from the state of nevada and just going to have